Bathroom Accessory Ideas

When accessorizing your bathroom, the most important factors to consider are space utilization, design elements and the people who live in the home. Many designers decorate bathrooms separately from the rest of the house, but if the bathroom is attached to another room, they often coordinate colors and patterns. Make your bathroom an attractive and useful room by choosing the appropriate decorations and accessories.

Space Utilization

Take measurements in your bathroom so that you know how much space you have between the toilet and the sink, or the toilet and the shower. The space above the toilet is often the most overlooked. An over the toilet shelf and/or wall medicine cabinet can be a great storage place for items like hairdryers, curling irons, and containers for Q-tips and cotton balls. Should you have space between the toilet and the shower, you can purchase a narrow yet deep cabinet and put it in the space between to hold extra shampoo, soap and baby bath products. Under the sink is a great place for plastic containers with drawers. These containers hold extra bathroom supplies as well as appliances that can take up counterspace. In the shower, a corner organizer or rack for the shower head will provide cleanliness and save space. Shampoo and soap products left on the shower floor can build up grime and mildew. A shower organizer usually has holes in the bottom for water to drain through, and some are even made of mildew-resistant plastic.

Design Elements and Accessories

Choose accessories for your bathroom with the occupants in mind. For example, if you are going to have children using the bathroom most, it makes sense to have child accessories in the bathroom, such as a mesh tub net for holding tub toys, and a protective spout cover for the bath tub spout. You may also decide to have a stool for toddlers and pre-schoolers to reach the sink so that they can begin to wash hands and brush teeth on their own. Guest bathrooms should always have a basket with travel-sized soap, shampoo, lotion, hairspray and other items that guests may have forgotten to pack.

Occupancy

Always keep extras in bathrooms with high occupancy. A toilet paper dispenser that holds a few rolls of toilet paper will be more useful than many rolls taking up space under the counter. A soap dispenser that dispenses a little bit of liquid soap will also work better than a bar of soap in a guest bathroom that is frequently used. In bathrooms that are used less frequently, decorating can be more artistic and less utilitarian. Try placing decorative hand towels and flower arrangements in these rooms where fewer people will be using them. Hang pictures on walls in bathrooms without a shower so that steam can't damage the photo or painting's appearance. Considering frequency and type of occupancy when choosing bathroom accessories will improve the harmony and cohesiveness of your home.